Indiana University Athletics
Sidney Green Named Assistant Coach
11/22/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 22, 2005
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Former 10-year NBA veteran Sidney Green has been named an assistant coach at Indiana, Hoosier head coach Mike Davis announced today. Green fills the slot vacated by Thad Fitzpatrick's resignation last summer.
In addition to stellar collegiate and professional playing careers, Green has spent the last 10 years as a college head coach, including the last six seasons at Florida Atlantic. Thus, Davis feels that Green's broad playing and coaching experience are a tremendous addition to the IU program.
"When you mention the name Sidney Green, you are talking about class, knowledge and experience," Davis said. "Sidney is someone who has played in the NBA and has been a head coach at the Division I level. His playing and teaching experience will be invaluable for these players, and his work in the community and with student-athletes is well respected among the coaching circle. He will also make a good fit with our coaching staff and will be able to add a new perspective immediately."
Green will assist with scouting and work with an Indiana frontcourt that features All-American candidates D.J. White and Marco Killingsworth, among other duties.
It is an opportunity to which he eagerly looks forward.
"I am very honored and privileged to be given this opportunity by head coach Mike Davis," Green said. "He has put together a championship caliber team, and I look forward to representing Indiana University and the men's basketball program."
A native of Brooklyn, N.Y., Green was an All-American and New York City Player of the Year in 1979 at Thomas Jefferson High School.
A graduate of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), he was the only player in the school's history to have his uniform retired after a prolific career under head coach Jerry Tarkanian, Green averaged 22.1 points and 11.9 rebounds during the 1982-83 campaign. A consensus second team All-American in 1983. Green finished his collegiate career with 2,073 points and averaged a double-double for his career (17.4 points and 10.7 rebounds).
The Chicago Bulls made Green the fifth overall pick of the 1983 NBA Draft, and Green spent three seasons in the Windy City., including two seasons alongside Michael Jordan. Green averaged 13.5 points and 8.2 rebounds per game in Chicago's 1985-86 playoff campaign. The 8.2 rebounds are his single-season NBA career high, a mark he duplicated in 1987 with the Detroit Pistons. Green was a key contributor to the New York Knicks in 1988 and 1989, and he was the first pick of the Orlando Magic in the 1989 NBA Expansion Draft. Following one year with the Magic, Green played three years with the San Antonio Spurs and one year with the Charlotte (now New Orleans) Hornets.
One of the most respected players in the NBA, Green was known throughout his basketball career for his commitment to community service and his outreach efforts on behalf of youth. In Orlando, Fla., he was founder of "Sid's Kids," an organization designed to motivate and promote self esteem in underprivileged and handicapped children. He also served as a Players Representative, a position in which he negotiated, mediated, advised and voted on issues which served the best interests of the players and the NBA.
During Green's tenure in New York, he participated in Governor Mario and Matilda Cuomo's Mentor Program as a spokesman in public schools on self-esteem, drug abuse and other issues important to youth. In 1989, he was the first player drafted in franchise history by the Orlando Magic.
In 1989, he received the National Spirit of Love Award, given by the NBA Players Association to the player who gives as much back to the community as he receives. He has adopted as his motto: "Success should not be judged by what you achieve, but by the service you give to society."
Green began his head coaching career at Southampton, compiling a 29-27 record during a two-year stint from1995-97. Green moved on to the University of North Florida in 1997. In his two years at UNF, he revived the Osprey Basketball Booster Club and the Hoop Club. He also worked with campus organizations to increase attendance at home games. Green guided UNF's switch from the Sunshine State Conference to the Peach Belt Conference. He increased his team's winning percentage by more than 30 percent in 1998-99.
Prior to Indiana, Green spent six seasons at the helm of Florida Atlantic. In 2001-02, Green earned Atlantic Sun Conference Coach of the Year honors after guiding FAU to its first-ever league championship and NCAA Tournament appearance.
Green and his wife, Deidra, have two children, LaShawn and Taurean, who is a sophomore guard at Florida.
